Sherpa Adjacent
Photo by Richard Luckin
Click to enlarge
What's happening in Golden today?
Events for Thursday, Aug. 29th
- All day - CURRENT EXHIBITS AT THE MUSEUMS
- All day - Live Workouts with Community Center Pros
- 9:15-9:45AM - Baby Time
- 10-10:30AM - Call In: Mid-Morning Meditation
- 11AM-12PM - Library for All: Interactive Program for Adults with Disabilities
- 3-4:30PM - Vaccine, License & Microchip Clinic
- 4:30-7:30PM - Coda Brewing 6th Year Anniversary Celebration
- 5:30PM - Pot et Fleur Workshop
- 5:45-7:30PM - Golden Women in Business Table Talks*
- 6PM - Run Club
- 6-9PM - Golden Game Guild Mini Paint Night
- 6:45PM - $5 Yoga Class - Restorative Yoga
- 7:30PM - School of Rock - The Musical
For more information, click the item above or visit the Golden Today Calendar
Bill Robie
Bill Robie - Courtesy of Barb Robie
GoldenToday has lost a good friend and neighbor. Bill Robie died on August 16th. Bill was an avid reader of our Golden history articles and contributed some excellent ones himself. His obituary follows:
William S. Robie (Bill) (April 6 1944 - August 16th 2024)
Bill Robie was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, to Frances Robie and Margorie Robie. His is survived by his wife of 57 years Dianne, his siblings Martha (Edmond) Rosenbaum, Edward (Kate) Robie, and Anne (Brian) Lee.
Children: Barbara, David (Gina), and Matthew. Grandchildren: Nichol (Maggie), Alexandra, Garrett, Foxton, Willow and Ivy. And many nieces and nephews.
Bill is a graduate of Colorado School of Mines. He proudly served in the United States Army as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He worked at Coors for many years, and succeeded in a great career in Land Development. Bill loved the Colorado Railroad Museum and spent many hours there.
A celebration will be held at a later date. Any donations can be donated to the Colorado Railroad Museum or VHPA (Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association).
Learn more about Bill:
- My Name Is...Bill Robie (Golden Transcript)
- Bill's involvement with Leadership Golden
- "Bill Robie's Vietnam Adventure" Huey helicopter pilot experiences 1968-1969 (YouTube)
Bill's contributions to our Golden history archives:
- Scenic Trip through the Canyon (Part 1)
- Scenic Trip through the Canyon (Part 2)
- A Photo from the 90s
- Mountain Ridge and Coal Mines
- A Glimpse of Golden in 1965
- Return to 1965
- The Coors Mansion
- Flooded Streets
- Central Golden in 1966
- Old Schools
- Coors Thermo-Porcelain
- Coors Insulated Boxcars
- Golden Postcards
- Golden Memorial Airfield
- CSM E-Days, 1965
And also...!
- Golden's Railroads (with Paul Haseman)
Thursday Date Night
School of Rock at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
There are only 3 weekends remaining to see School of Rock at Miners Alley. (I saw it last week, and it was great!) For the rest of the run, they are offering a special Thursday Date Night deal.
Buy TWO tier one tickets and pay only $80. You'll get two tickets to the play and two drink tickets--woo hoo! Using the online box office, select your seats and when it asks what kind of ticket you want (standard, senior, student), select the "Thursday Date Night" rate. The total for two tickets will magically become $80.
You can also call the box office (303-935-3044) and request the Thursday Date Night rate.
Bonus!
The Buffalo Rose is a major sponsor of this production. Tell your server that you're seeing the play at Miners Alley and you'll receive 15% off dinner and drinks before the show.
Miners Alley Performing Arts Center
1100 Miners Alley (map)
Buffalo Rose
1119 Washington Avenue (map)
Save $ on Golden Gallop Registration
Golden Gallop 2015 - Photo by Dave Powers
Are you planning to participate in the Golden Gallop this year? It takes place on September 22nd this year. This is the annual fund-raiser for the Golden Schools Foundation.
Register before September 1st (that's Sunday!) to save $5.
Here are the top 10 reasons you should register now:
√ Have fun
√ Get outside
√ 3 race options - 10k, 5k & Kids Fun Run
√ Get a very cool race t-shirt
√ Run with your dog
√ Enjoy great food from local food trucks
√ Listen to music from a local band
√ Raise funds for our amazing Golden Schools
√ Register by August 31st to guarantee your t-shirt size
and
√ Registration price increases by $5 on September 1st
REGISTER!
5K | 10K | Kids Fun Run | K9 Companion
Live Music for Thursday, Aug. 29th
- 5-8PM Josh Blackburn @ Golden Mill
Golden Mill - More Live Music
4:30-7:30PM Denver Vintage Reggae Society @ Coda Brewing
5-9PM Bruce Cole @ Wrigley’s
6PM Josh Walker Band @ Dirty Dogs Roadhouse
6PM Pick & Howl @ New Terrain Brewing
7-10PM The Lost Penny Band @ Columbine Cafe
8PM Karaoke @ Rock Rest Lodge
For more information, visit the Golden Today Calendar
Golden History: Something New About Sewage
August, 2024 Golden Beer Talk at the Buffalo Rose - Dr. Tanja Rauch-Williams describing the wonderful world of wastewater treatment
Click to enlarge
I learned something new at the August Golden Beer Talk! The featured speaker was Golden's own Dr. Tanja Rauch-Williams (of Metro Water Recovery). Her two guest speakers were Brian Tracy from the City of Golden and Mark Koch from Coors.
I have written before about Golden's sewage history--how, for many years, we piped our raw sewage straight into Clear Creek, and how, in the 1950s, Coors built a treatment plant and began treating Golden's wastewater as well as their own.
I learned a new chapter in the wastewater tale: for ten years, Golden sent its sewage/wastewater to Denver for treatment. The complete sewage saga follows, including the new (to me) Denver interval.
Sewers of Golden, Part 1
The City of Denver began installing a sewer system in the late 1870s. Much of ceramic pipe used for that system was manufactured in Golden, using our local clay.
Golden itself was slower to embrace the idea of a city-wide sewer system. Our early efforts were privately financed pipes that led straight to Clear Creek. Once there, the raw sewage was discharged directly into the Creek.
In 1879, Golden’s leaders were anxious to get a first class, modern hotel. Apparently one critical element of this hotel would be indoor plumbing, rather than outhouses. The Transcript described how this could be achieved:
A suitable location can now be secured...from which a sewer pipe to the creek can easily and cheaply be laid.
Colorado Transcript, March 26, 1879
The Bella Vista Hotel was built at 12th & Jackson (called "Miners" at that time) with a direct
In 1893, the county commissioners paid $200 to install a sewer pipe from the courthouse down to meet with the hotel’s sewer. Property owners along the line also contributed to the cost, so they too could connect to the line.
Mr. Staples, who owned a tailor shop and residence at Washington Avenue and 1st Street (now 11th) installed a sewer pipe from his building to the creek in 1885.
The same year, the Transcript connected to the hotel’s sewer pipe to discharge the waste water from their motor.
West of Washington Avenue, there was a combination of buried sewer pipes and open runs.
A February 24, 1886 Transcript article describes John Nicholl’s lovely home on 14th Street and mentions that “The bath-room, lavatories, sinks, etc., as well as the yards, are drained through lines of sewer pipe leading to the street gutter in front.”
A February 27, 1895 article discusses “…the proposed sewer from the School to Clear Creek. This improvement is very much needed as at present all the drainage is passed down through the city in the open run leading thence to the creek.”
Until 1896, the State Industrial School (now the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center – map) discharged its waste into Kinney Run, which eventually carried it to Clear Creek. Residents in the Ford Street neighborhood disliked having the open sewer run past their houses.
By the turn of the century, the need for a city-wide underground sewer system was becoming clear.
Golden Sewers – Part 2
After 40 years of living with outhouses and open sewers, Golden residents were coming to appreciate the value of underground sewers. By 1900, we had hundreds of feet of buried sewer pipes, but they were all privately installed and owned. People who had sewer lines running past their property were often able to connect to the pipe, but most homes and businesses in Golden had no access to a sewer.
At last, town leaders began to urge the development of a wide-reaching city owned system.
All the sewers in the city thus far have been inaugurated by private enterprise and money, and we believe…that the time has arrived when Golden should begin the establishment of a complete system of sewers.
The Colorado Transcript, February 4, 1904
In 1906, City Council hired an engineer to survey a potential sewer system. In 1908, they voted in favor of installing sewer lines on the south side of the creek. That was so successful that in 1910, they built another sewer system north of the Creek.
While the new systems were owned and maintained by the City, individual property owners were assessed the cost of running past their property and hooking them up to the system. Some property owners were reluctant to pay that assessment, and continued to rely on outhouses for many more years.
Golden continued to discharge its sewage directly into Clear Creek until Coors built a wastewater treatment plant in 1953 and agreed to process Golden’s wastewater as well. The Coors-Golden "Sewage Disposal" plant began treating wastewater on August 1, 1953.
The New Chapter
In 1971, Coors informed Golden that they would need all of the capacity at their treatment plant, and asked the City to find another solution by October of 1972. This left the City with two choices: build its own treatment plant or install a long pipe and hook into Denver's system. After evaluating the alternatives, Golden decided to connect to Denver's Metro Water System.
Meanwhile, Coors was continuing to build new facilities; many of them downstream from the treatment facility. They decided that they would like to send some of their wastewater to Denver too. They offered to build a 24" diameter, 18,000 foot long pipe to carry the wastewater to Denver. Golden could include its wastewater at a cost of $10 per year. (This did not cover Denver's charges for treating the wastewater.) If the combined (Golden + Coors) wastewater ever exceeded the capacity of the pipe, Golden would need to build its own pipe, but Coors would provide right of way through their land.
The Denver solution was never entirely satisfactory. Some of Golden's water rights were dependent on our ability to return water to Clear Creek after using (and treating) it. When we sent our wastewater to Denver, it was released into the South Platte after treatment. The seventies included a number of wet years, which allowed us to meet our obligations to our downstream neighbors, but City leaders were concerned about what would happen in dry years.
The December 31, 1979 Golden Transcript announced that Coors and Golden had reached a new agreement: Coors would build a second treatment plant and would resume treating Golden's wastewater. In exchange, the City would make its post-treatment water and any excess water supply available to Coors. The deal was economically advantageous to both parties. So--after a 10 year hiatus--Golden's sewage returned to Coors' treatment plant.
And they have been treating it ever since.
News About Golden - August 29, 2024
Golden Pantry and Thrift: A New Name, A Renewed Commitment to Our Community
Golden Pantry and Thrift
Golden, CO- August 23, 2024- We are excited to announce that our organization, formerly CAG Food Pantry & Thrift Store, is officially rebranding to Golden Pantry and Thrift. This name change reflects our deepened commitment to the Golden community and our broadened vision for the future... Download Press Release below.
Native American fashion, artwork the focus of new Golden History Museum exhibit
By Corrine Westeman
Golden Transcript
“Native Americans are all extinct.”
It’s something people have told Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand, a Sicangu Lakota and Cherokee artist, when she’s explained her background.
Unfortunately, it’s an experience many others of Native American descent share... Read more...
City of Golden Weekly Digest
In this issue... Download PDF below...
Evergreen’s legendary El Rancho Colorado could become a gas station
By Aldo Svaldi
Denver Post
The location where El Rancho Colorado, a legendary roadside restaurant in Evergreen, now sits could become more focused on filling empty gas tanks than the bellies of hungry travelers along Interstate 70... Read more...
Supporters
Many thanks to the people and organizations who support What’s Happening in Golden? If you would like to support local news, please CLICK HERE!
Sponsors:
($100/month and up)
Buffalo Rose, Buglet Solar, Foothills Art Center, Golden City Brewery, Golden Cultural Alliance, Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, The Golden Mill, Golden Chamber of Commerce, Golden History Tours, Morris & Mae Market, Miners Saloon, Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden Hayride Outpost, Kona Bowls, Unite Fitness, Tom Reiley, Michael Mason, and Esther Kettering
Friends:
($50-99.99/month or $500/yr)
Tall Pines Painting, Baby Doe’s Clothing, Goozell Yogurt & Coffee Paul Haseman, Donna Anderson, Carol & Doug Harwood, Beth Bidwell, Stephanie Painter, Greg Poulos, and Joy Brandt
Supporters:
($25-49.99/month or $250/yr)
Laura King and Scott Wilson, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Ann Norton & Jonathan Storer, Forrest Jones, Barry & Liz Bettis, Cheryl & Tom Schweich, Marjorie Sloan, Chris and Joyce Davell, Rick Flint, Forrest Jones, AC Development, Cynthia Merrill Tamny, Stephen Pero, Meg Van Ness & Steve Kalasz, Steve & Karla Schaefer
Members:
($10-24.99/month or $100/yr)
Brad Miller & Julie Bartos, Holly Thomas, Jim and LouAnne Dale, Ann Pattison, Thomas Hoffman, Carol Abel, Brian Quarnstrom, Sandra Curran, Bobby German and Alison McNally, Kathy Smith, Karen Smith, Carlos & Nancy Bernal, Robert Storrs, Michele Sannes, Elaine Marolla, Dixie Termin & Ron Miller, E Tom Hughes, Crystal M Culbert, Patrick A. Madison, Alice Madison & Jim Kalivas, Deb Goeldner, Christopher Ball, 6th Chair Home Services, Dot & Eric Brownson, Rosemary Coffman, Emeline Paulson, Casey & Gina Brown, Sandy Schneider, Mark and Cathy Pattridge, Cheryl G Leidich, Jen Rutter, Carol Abel, Frani R Bickart, Jennings and Litz, Bill Sedgeley, Nancy Hughes, Justin L Wade, Kathi Eggers, Traci Case, Donna Owen, Leslie D Lutz, Karen Oxman, Catherine Skokan, Ross Fraser, Lynne Haigh, Elizabeth Hilliard, Frank Young & Terre Deegan-Young, Kathy Hirons & Jack Markin, Jess & Anthony Monasterio, Ella Lyons & Jeanne Fritch, Heather Duncan, Lee Ann & Pete Horneck, Carol Cameron, Cheryl Williamson, San Daugherty, Jim Garner, John and Carol McEncroe, the Golden Welcome Center, the Golden Transcript, and Koshare Eagle
Followers:
($5-9.99/month)
Golden Community Garden, Lora Haimes, Mariane Erickson, J.J. Fraser
